Unexpected
by DelphiaDivine
Summary: Anna did not meet her end in Dracula's castle. That would have been too simple. Anna's life continues with Gabriel until startling news threatens to destroy the life they made together.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic in years. It's been a while since I last saw Van Helsing but it's one of those movies I just adore. I've got all these wonderfully wicked plans for Gabriel and Anna. So, my lovely readers, read and review! Let me know if there's something I need to improve. I promise there's much more wickedly wonderful drama on the way!**

Weeks had passed since the incident at Dracula's castle and a new sense of calm replaced the terror that once reigned over the land.

The trio had returned to the castle damaged, beaten, and bruised but still alive. Anna, just barely. Van Helsing carried her back to the castle, held tightly in his arms. She was trembling violently despite the cover of Carl's cloak. Her shaking was no major comfort to him but at least she was still alive. He thanked God for that small blessing.

The walk back to the castle had passed without words. After reassuring Van Helsing that Anna was alive, there was nothing more Carl could say. Once inside, Van Helsing did not pause to shake off the snow and dirt that had collected on his body. His only thought was to bring Anna to her room.

Carl knew what was expected of him. He quickly made for his room for medical supplies.

Van Helsing climbed the wooden stairs to Anna's room, hardly noticing his frozen fingers or feet. All that mattered was Anna now. His eyes searched her face, looking for some sign of life. He silently prayed and hoped for even the slightest flutter of an eyelash. Losing her now would prove more painful and cruel than losing her Dracula's castle. There, she would have died in battle like the warrior she was. Here, she would die in his arms and his world would crash around him.

The door to her room was open. He nudged it further with his shoulder before walking into the room fully. The maids were already bustling around the room in muted silence. The fire place was being lit. Pillows were fluffed and blankets pulled back. Everyone moved without speaking as if silence was the only thing preventing the world from falling into chaos.

"We will take it from here, Mr. Van Helsing," said an elderly maid, breaking the awkward silence as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "The lady will be changed into her dressing gown and we will send for you."

It was with great reluctance that Van Helsing let the princess go. He lay her petite frame on the bed and with gentle but callous fingers, brushed a strand of hair from her eyes.

"Thank you," he said in a cracked voice, wrought with worry and exhaustion. Still bloodied and bare-chested, he made his way to his own room down the hall.

One week.

Anna slept, blissfully unaware, for one week. A violent snow storm had come and gone but still she slept. No one in the village celebrated the death of Dracula. If it cost the life of their princess, there would never be celebration.

Van Helsing kept watch over her day and night. It had been him who had done this to her. Driven mad by his werewolf form but still him. As he held her pale hand in his own and trailed his thumb over her knuckles, he replayed the scene again and again. His bloodshot eyes shut as he recalled her screams of terror.

When that became too much, he found himself thinking of all the things he would say to her once she woke up: how much he cared for her, how he could not live another day without her by his side, how he-

"Van Helsing?"

The word hung in the air for a few moments. Van Helsing was afraid to speak or move, as if doing so would shatter the hope that Anna might be awake. His thumb paused momentarily as his breath was held.

He would not dare to look at her, knowing she was still asleep. It would only hurt worse to see her pale, fragile frame. For days, he had sworn that the howl of the wind carried a whisper of her voice. He had been fooled far too many times to believe again.

The noise of shuffling pillows reached his ears. Bed sheets were pushed aside. No. It was a dream. It was a beautiful, painful dream.

Trembling, warm fingers braced themselves on his chin. He had dreamed of it so many times before but, in each dream, the fingers were as cold as death. The delicate fingers persuaded him to move his face towards the bed. Still, he could not look upon her sleeping form. It hurt too much to see her in a limbo somewhere between life and death.

"Van Helsing..." He had heard her voice so many times throughout the past week. This was no different.  
The soft, velvety tone tinged with a Transylvanian accent he remembered so well.

Warm lips were pressed to his own. He responded in kind, giving into the dream. His eyes opened slowly, with the knowledge that it would ruin any illusion before him.

But it was not a bittersweet dream. It was Anna. His Anna.

Van Helsing's eyebrows rose in shock as his rough hands reached out to her and pulled her into his lap. Anna made a small squeak of surprise but did not break the romantic embrace. He could feel her lips curve into a smile.

"Anna.." he murmured softly, resting his forehead against hers.

"Mr. Van Helsing," she replied in kind. "You...You were a fool to stay by me each day." He could hear the weariness in her blatant stubbornness.

"You, my princess, were a fool for saving me." He wrapped his arms around her fully and pulled her closer. Her hands rest on his chest but made no effort to push him away.

Anna laughed softly, a musical tone to his ears, and smiled. Her dark hair framed her face and smiling lips. Her eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint. Van Helsing noted every feature , not wanting to forget a single detail of the woman in his arms.

"I believe, Mr. Van Helsing, that we fools have much to catch up on." Her smile promised something much more wicked than a few chaste kisses. News of her awakening would have to wait for a while longer.


	2. Chapter 2

**It's been a while since I updated this but I will not let the story die! Comments and reviews help. Please R & R! Let me know what you think.**

In the weeks that passed since Anna's return, a great joy spread through the village. A happiness that had not been known for centuries was felt by every man, woman, and child. Generations of families who had lived on borrowed time were suddenly free from the nightmare. People were dancing in the streets, drinking until morning, and living with new vigor. Few had ever known a life without fear of vampires.

Van Helsing and Anna were hailed as heroes. Even Carl was considered a holy man truly touched by God. Carl would often be found retelling the story to anyone who would listen. Especially young maids with pretty faces. Anna found his version to be slightly different from her own but dismissed such thoughts with a smile.

Anna was confined to her bed for a week following her accident. Against her own wishes, of course, but the doctor's orders were enforced by Van Helsing.

"If I have to stay in bed with you, Princess, than I will do so. Solely because of the bravery of my own heart and dedication to-"

Anna silenced him with a kiss. "The doctor also said no strenuous activity."

"Love making is not a strenuous activity," he murmured before planting kisses along her jaw and down her neck. "In fact, you rather seem more relaxed after our..." He slid the strap of her gown over her shoulder and kissed the newly exposed flesh, "...ministrations."

Van Helsing had had sex many times before now. He was far from inexperienced. But he had never truly made love. Each woman was a release, a minor escape from his torment. He was certain the same held true for them. He had never allowed himself to fall in love until now.

Anna was his everything. His former sins and forgotten past were nothing merely wisps of smoke in the wind. The stubborn, beautiful princess he held in his arms and swore to protect was all he wanted out of life. God had returned her to him and he would never let her go.

Two months had passed since Dracula's death. The raging fire that was the celebration had turned to a smolder. The fields needed plowing and seeding at the proper times. Children were to be raised and animals to be fed.

Princess Anna Valerious was not excluded. Her advisors met with her daily, informing her of the villagers' concerns and worries. Every day another problem arose. There were not enough people to plow the fields. Anna spent the next days from morning until night aiding in the plowing and planting. Two farmers disputed over land ownership. Anna was judge to the argument and settled it justly.

Van Helsing had confronted her about it several times, claiming that the villagers needed a strong leader. Not a slave to do their bidding.

"I am not a bloody slave!" she had screamed at him. "They are my people and I protect them in any way I can. For years I had to watch _their _children be taken by vampires from the safety of my room. I had guards surrounding me at all times and they had nothing but my father's empty promises."

She turned her back to him and glared at the fire as it were the reason for this argument. "Until I am dead, I will be forever in their debt."

"Foolish woman," he growled, leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.

The sound of a vase smashing against the wall told him that Anna had heard him and was not pleased.

Bandits had settled into the woods. Of course, Anna marched into the woods with a small army of men and handled the problem as she had all the others. This problem, though, was not as easily solved.

The doors to the castle slammed open and hit the wall with a resounding echo. Anna stumbled into the entryway with her bloody sword in her left hand. The blade was dragging on the floor as she stepped forward. Her right hand gripped her stomach tightly. Crimson blossomed on the lightly colored fabric.  
A bright, purple bruise was forming on her cheek and her eyes were glazed.

Van Helsing ran down the stairs upon hearing the door crash open. "Anna, you've been gone for three days. I haven't heard so much as a damned- Oh, dear God..." His eyes widened as he took in the sight of her.

The princess could walk no more. She fell back against the wall closest to her and slipped down to the floor, streaking blood in her wake.

"Call for the doctor!" he shouted in a booming voice before gathering his broken princess in his arms. "And you. You foolish, foolish woman. Stay with me. Don't you dare fall asleep." Van Helsing ran up the stairs two at a time. His fingers could feel her ribs shifting under her blouse. Broken ribs were only a small fragment of the problem at the moment.

"So...Sorry," she murmured, looking up at him with half-lidded eyes. A small line of blood began trickling down from the corner of her mouth. It was if she were falling apart in his arms. Van Helsing swore he'd do everything to keep her alive. Even if he had to sew her back together himself.

It seemed like hours before the doctor arrived and quickly closed the door to Anna's room. Van Helsing had demanded to be in the room with her but, with Carl's persuasion, had resigned to staying outside her door. This did nothing to stop his worry. Van Helsing paced for hours, listening at the door for anything. Any sign that Anna was alive or dead. This purgatory was torture.

The sun had set long before the door opened once more.

"Call the midwife," was the only order that escaped the room.

Van Helsing was concerned. What the hell could the midwife do for Anna? Unless she had been forced upon by the bandits. His fists clenched at his sides. His fingernails dug into the flesh of his palms. If that was so, he would murder each one of them.

The midwife was promptly brought to the castle and into Anna's room. Van Helsing caught only the briefest glimpse of his love. Anna was propped up with pillows, her midsection bandaged tightly, and a worried look on her face.

Yes. He would murder the man who dared to assault his beloved.

It seemed like days had passed before the doctor stepped out of Anna's room. His rolled up sleeves were stained with her blood. Beads of sweat gathered on his brow.

"Mr. Van Helsing?" The doctor's words drew him from his homicidal daydream. Van Helsing glanced up from his seat next to the door.

"You may enter now. Princess Anna has..." He hesitated to find the right words. "The princess would like a word with you, sir."

The doctor kindly tipped his hat and bid him goodnight before scurrying down the hallway. Van Helsing's gut filled with dread. Something wasn't right.

But it was no concern of his now. Van Helsing placed his hand on the wooden door and paused before pushing it open.

Anna was alive. Bruised and battered enough to need at least a week's worth of rest but alive. Van Helsing could ask for nothing more.

She sat up in the bed, surrounded by a collection of pillows and swathed in fresh bandages. Her wounds had been stitched up expertly and a poultice had been placed on her bruised cheek.

He took his place, sitting beside her on the bed and reached for her hand. She pulled away without a word. An awkward silence hung in the air for what seemed like hours.

"Are you well?" His voice sounded alien to him. As if it were someone else who could be this broken. Not the heartless rouge, Van Helsing.

Anna nodded in response. "Yes," she said, scarcely above a whisper.

Van Helsing was brimming with questions. How badly was she injured? Who did this to her? And, most importantly, why bring a midwife?

His eyes focused on the quilt that covered her. Somehow, it made things easier to trace the patterns of the fabric with his eyes than look upon his broken princess. Speaking to her was difficult enough. She seemed to share the sentiment.

"Van Helsing, I-" she began, gathering what little strength she had left. Her words failed her and silence reigned over them.

He could take no more of this. "What is it, Anna?" he said in a tone harsher than he intended. "Are you apologizing for being so bull-headed? For not listening to reason?"

He trembled as his gaze lifted to see her pale face. All the anger he had felt for days. The worry, the torment of not knowing whether or not he would lose her now was raging inside of him. A slight simmer was turning into a raging boil.

"For not giving a _damn_ about those who care for you? For not thinking of those who love you and care for you?! How many times have I almost lost you, Anna?! How many times?"

It hurt him to speak to her this way but there was no stopping a charging bull. Not even Anna's defeated look and tearful eyes could stop him. She raised a hand to her lips, holding back a sob.

"And now! You stumble in here half dead! What?! Did you think you were invincible? Are you trying to prove your worth as a fighter?! What, Anna?! Tell me what it is!"

"I'm pregnant!" she exclaimed in a broken, trembling voice. The tears she had held back poured down her face in a torrent of emotion. Sobs tore through her thin frame.

It was if he had been kicked in the stomach with lead shoes. Van Helsing felt everything leave his body in a mass exodus. All the built up emotion, all the air in his lungs. Gone. He grasped for a single thought, a single word to say. But nothing came.

Anna's sobs slowly brought him back from the void his mind had become. He could not touch her or look at her. This fragile moment could destroy him entirely.

"And the father?" he asked, staring holes into the wooden floor. His mind could barely function enough to process her words, much less provide any input.

Anna sniffled and gasped for enough air to answer him. One word escaped her chapped lips. "You."

"How long have you known?"

"A few days now. The midwife confirmed it."

"And the bandits?"

"I wanted to die. I don't want this child, Van Helsing. I am no mother. Tomorrow, tomorrow I leave for Budapest to see a doctor. He will-He will remove it from me. I don't want to see you here when I return."

These words bore into his mind. The scene faded into memory but always these words remained.

**Got a little sloppy towards the end but I hope you still like it. Lots of drama on the way! Bwhaha!**

Thank you for reading. Please leave a lovely, little comment.


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